Woman launches $500,000 lawsuit against Queen Elizabeth Hospital over claims of misdiagnosed appendicitis

A patient claims she was diagnosed with gastro and sent home from the QEH – only to need emergency surgery 12 hours later.

A patient at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is suing for half a million dollars after her appendicitis was allegedly misdiagnosed as gastro – leading to her needing emergency surgery the next day to treat a “gangrenous” appendix.

Court documents lodged in the District Court show the woman is claiming damages for extensive scarring and the exacerbation of pre-existing mental and physical health issues.

In a defence filed by the Crown Solicitors Office, the hospital denies any liability and says the woman’s presentation was not consistent with acute appendicitis.

The woman’s statement of claim alleges she was taken by ambulance to the QEH at 5.15pm on December 6, 2017.

A patient at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is suing for half a million dollars after her appendicitis was allegedly misdiagnosed as gastro. Picture: Sarah Reed

The documents state she was experiencing nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea with abdominal pain increasing in the hours before being admitted.

She described the pain as “10 out of 10”.

The woman claims she was kept at the hospital overnight and subjected to a number of tests which showed her heart was normal and her lungs were clear.

She alleges that before her discharge at 6am on December 7, 2017, two emergency department doctors examined and palpated her abdomen – noting “severe pain” in the right side of abdomen.

She says she was formally diagnosed with gastro and sent home.

Despite receiving narcotic pain relief, the woman says the discomfort in her abdomen did not subside.

At 1.48pm on December 7, 2017, she went to her GP who suspected appendicitis and sent her for a scan.

Less than two hours later, a CT scan showed acute appendicitis and that there was free fluid in her pelvis – indicating the appendix had burst.

At 10.06pm, she underwent an appendectomy and washout of the pelvic area to remove any trace of the “gangrenous” portion of the appendix.

In the court documents, the woman claims to have been in hospital for several days and to have been left with scars and lesions.

During her time at the hospital, the woman claims, she did not receive “reasonable, careful or skilful examination, investigation, care and treatment”.

In its defence, the hospital denies any negligence and says all the medical staff acted with due care and skill.

Further, it argues that the woman’s appendix would have always needed to be removed and her symptoms had not been consistent with appendicitis.

The case continues in the District Court.